1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to construction brackets for framing. Particularly, the present invention relates to construction brackets for a roof. More particularly, the present invention relates to construction brackets for roof rafters for more efficient construction and for venting of roofs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In wood frame building construction, a plurality of paired roof rafters are connected together forming a roof structure. Typically during construction, a ridge board is used to facilitate the roof rafter framing process. Roofs are typically vented to prevent excess heat and associated problems such as increased cooling costs in hot climates and ice formation on the roof in cold climates. The formation of ice results from a lack of free flowing air from the eaves to the ridge of the roof. The ice forms dams (known as ice dams) that cause the water from melting snow to become trapped behind the ice dam. Water then backs up under the shingles causing water damage to the roof, roof structure and internal walls and ceilings.
In roof structures that do not incorporate an attic, a ridge vent is typically installed along the ridge of the roof so that ambient air is allowed to freely flow from the eaves to the ridge vent along paths between the rafters. There are several disadvantages of using ridge vents. In cold climates, snow may accumulate on the roof and the ridge vent, thus blocking the ridge vent. Blocking of the ridge vent prevents proper venting of the roof that leads to the formation of ice dams. In addition, proper venting of roof hips or valleys or around gables tends to be ignored. This creates venting problems for construction designs that incorporate large numbers of gables and no attic space between the rafters and ceiling joists. Further, ridge vents create a ridge line that is not aesthetically pleasing. It creates the look of a misaligned ridge like a ridge cap that doesn't quite belong. This is unlike the use of roof cupolas that add an aesthetically pleasing feature to a roof or the use of gable vents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,699 (1990, Spinelli) discloses a ridge vent comprising a matting or matrix of randomly convoluted polymeric filaments heat bonded to a porous sheet material layer. The sheet material layer overlies the ridge peak opening and is wrapped around the edges of the filament matrix to prevent entry of foreign material into the matrix as well as into the attic. The sheet material layer permits the flow of ventilating air through the peak opening and outwardly beneath the ridge cap shingles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,678 (2002, Rotter) discloses a contoured roof ventilation system. The ventilation system has a strip with an air-permeable portion located adjacent a ridge slot. Standoff clips are provided which can be placed over the air-permeable strip at fastener locations which are located on flat portions of the roof panels. A sealing material may be place beneath the air-permeable strip at such fastener locations to prevent the ingress of moisture beneath the panels.
Both of these device suffer from the same disadvantages described earlier, i.e., the problem of snow accumulation blocking ventilation along the ridge and the unaesthetic look of a ridge vent. Consequently, the proper venting of a roof continues to be a problem.
Not only is roof venting a problem, but also connecting one rafter to another requires that the rafters be attached securely. Various hangers have been devised to facilitate the attachment of rafters and joists. The following are examples of such devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,694 (1998, Breivik) discloses an adjustable ridge connector. The adjustable ridge connector has an elongated spine with a longitudinal axis. The spine has a first portion and a second portion. First and second opposed ears extend from the first portion of the spine in a direction transverse to the axis. Each of the ears has distal ends. First and second opposed flanges extend from the spine in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis and are adjacent to the first and second ears. The first and second flanges form an arcuate taper towards the second portion of the spine. A first and a second seat tab extend longitudinally from the second portion of the spine in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis and form an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the spine. Each of the seat tabs have distal ends. The flanges define a plurality of fastener openings. The openings are aligned about a plurality of vertically spaced axes. At least two sets of openings are formed by the plurality of openings; each set is distinguishable from the other for designating either skewed or non-skewed configurations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,342 (1993, Kresa, Jr.) discloses a variable angle joist support. The variable angle joist support includes a base plate mounted to a first surface of a supporting beam and a pair of spaced apart support sides flexibly attached to the base plate. The support sides sandwich a joist to be supported at a variable interface angle relative to the beam. Each support side includes a support section which is positionable to fit flush against a respective side surface of the joist. The flexible attachment of the support sides to the base plate allows the support sides to pivot about a beam mounted base plate in order to receive a joist at any desired interface angle. The support sides can be flexibly attached to the base plate using hinges or malleable accordion shaped sections. The support sides can be provided with coplanar bottom flanges for support of and interconnection to a bottom surface of the joist. The support sides may be made of a malleable material or include multiple hinged support sections.
A disadvantage of these connector devices is the need to cut the butting end of the joist or rafter at the proper angle for attachment to a ridge board or other joist. This requires skill to determine the proper angle to form along with the proper length of the board. Another disadvantage is the time required to perform the cut of the joist or rafter at the proper angle for attachment to these connector devices.
Therefore, what is needed is a construction bracket that provides a more efficient way of connecting rafters during the framing/construction process. What is further needed is a construction bracket that does not require a user to perform an acute angle cut of the end of the joist or rafter before attaching to the construction bracket. What is also needed is a construction bracket that, when used to connect roof rafters at roof ridges, hips or valleys, creates a passageway to improve roof ventilation. What is yet further needed is construction bracket that forms a roof ventilation system unaffected by snow accumulation.